


Balto LV: Lost Voyage (movie script)

by Radio_Collar



Category: Balto (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Real Events, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23731183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radio_Collar/pseuds/Radio_Collar
Summary: A movie script about Balto imagining himself as a sled dog on a sailing expedition in the Arctic Seas.
Relationships: Balto/Jenna (Balto)





	Balto LV: Lost Voyage (movie script)

**Author's Note:**

> **Introduction:** Hi everyone. I wrote a movie script for what could possibly be a Balto fan movie. (I mean it's ok to dream...)  
> But I did write it so that I could possibly animate it in the future. (as an animatic/storyboard video, not a full animation) Hopefully it's readable enough, because I wrote it mostly just for my eyes at first, & then edited it to hopefully make sense to others.
> 
> The movie script uses characters and themes from the real life story of the HMCS Karluk.  
> 

**Movie script**  


A black screen.  
Happy, calming music plays.  
The title shows with a dissolve.

Balto  
-  
Lost Voyage

Dissolve to black.

LOCATION: BALTO'S BOAT  
Fade in to Balto asleep with his blanket. (sleeping inside his ship's cabin)  
Boris is snuggled with him, both are snoring.  
Empty vodka bottles are in the cabin for some reason.  
Balto's chest goes up and down as he snores.  
snore wee wee wee... snore wee wee wee...

Shot of Balto's ship from above. The audio goes quiet, with a sound of wind.  
A meowing noise is heard. meow~ meow~  
The music jingles alittle bit, getting the audience excited about the plot.

Balto makes a noise as he gets up, but doesn't yawn.  
Drowsily he stretches out of the blanket.  
Boris shifts to sleep on the floor under the covers.

The wolfdog exits the cabin.  
Balto's big wolf paws clack the planks with sharp nails,  
and his massive size makes an audible creek in the floorboards.

He opens his lips to reveal teeth that are perfect for scissoring off food & crushing bone.  
Putting the teeth around a shape of a cat's head, he bites and pulls it to make a click sound.  
It's just a wooden mechanical toy of a cat. (One of Balto's toys, maybe lightly broken)  
Then he pulls the tail and drops it aside.

But wait. The faint sound of meowing continues...  
Balto "Oh!?" It's a real cat! It needs help!  
Balto finally wakes up fully, looks back at Boris, "Boris..."

Balto walks over the broken mast pole of the ship, and parkours up to where the cat is.  
Cautiously moving forward, he spots them, "Why hello there."  
They're just a cute little thing with tiny whitey paws and sooty black fur.  
Kitten "...a DOG!!?" "Your a dog aren't you? Going to eat me are you!?"  
Balto "...careful don't fall, I'm not going to hurt you..."  
Kitten "Fall? I'm a ship cat, I know what I'm doing..." AH!  
Balto offers a paw. "Here climb aboard."  
Kitten "What? ......thanks."  
They walk and talk. Kitten climbs onto Balto's head, messing up his ears.  
Balto "I'm... Boato, what's your name?"  
kitten "...Nigeraurak."  
Balto "Oh that's a nice name."

Scene of them chilling out on the boat railings,  
looking out at the Norton Sound, Nome's bay.  
A ship passes by in the distance.  
Balto "You said you were a ship cat?"  
Kitten "Yeah. My mom was a ship cat."  
Her first ship was the Karluk. A research vessel."  
Fade to a dark morning in the bay, the Karluk ship's detailed silhouette contrasts the sky.

"It all started here in Nome, Alaska 1913..."

LOCATION: HARBOUR  
Dissolves into the establishing shot: the ship shining in the morning sun.  
Man1: "She's beautiful, the Karluk!"  
Man2: "Get the team of researchers together..."  
Man3: "It got a coffee pot of an engine... never intended to run more than two days at a time."  
A lone disgruntled engineer says that under his breath with his arms crossed.

A little girl holding a little black cat in her arms stands by the ship.  
"That native girl... yes, Rosie, she's coming along with her family."  
"Meow"  
Man1: "Sweet little thing. what's the little kitty's name?"  
Girl "...Nigeraurak."  
Man2: "Means 'little black one' in Inuit. I picked up the poor thing at the docks in Canada."  
(the girl looks alot like Rosie in Balto's imagination. Mostly the overfitting clothes.)  
(But she is native with black hair & eyes.)

Boooon  
The ship's boiler lets off steam.  
Researchers: "We're ready to set sail!"  
"For science, we venture out into the great unknowns!"  
"Yay!" the little girl Rosie lifts Nigeraurak into the air in excitement. And twirls around.

Boarding the ship...  
Her kitty walks quietly about the floorboards. Exploring.  
Rosie just behind her.

LOCATION: BOARDING  
Rosie: "(laughs) Your a real ship cat now!" she nuzzles her. "Meow~"  
On the ship they venture around looking at the crates, the flag(it flew the Union Jack), & equipment.  
"Now now, don't touch anything that looks important.  
If it breaks we're out of luck for weeks."

The sled dogs are brought aboard the ship.  
Balto looks excellent with his dream realized of wearing the harness of a dogsledding line.  
The other dogs on his gangline are generic designs of the sled dogs in the 1st movie.  
Kitten narrates the story:  
"The dogs. 28 of them were brought aboard the ship to help out.  
They pull the sleds of equipment. Of scientific importance and basic survival things."

The ship undocks and sails out with bellows of smoke coming out.

LOCATION: ONE OF THE SHIP'S STORAGE ROOMS  
Balto sees a red husky enter the room the dogs are in, but with no harness on,  
only a bandana. (they know each other from back in Nome)  
The husky looks back and forth at the dog teams as if she's needing to choose a side.  
Jenna takes afew steps. Steele muscles in and herds her into his corner.  
Balto looks at the floor disappointed that he didn't say anything, glancing at them afew times.  
Balto's corner is kind of claustrophobic & dusty compared to Steele's spot too.

LOCATION: OUTSIDE ON THE TOP DECK  
Balto with his gangline collar still on; ventures to the top deck.  
He watches the waves from the front of the ship. Pause.  
Jenna the beautiful red husky walks up to him, standing leftscreen just behind him,  
she says solemnly, "Hello Jack." (Balto's name)  
She pauses. "I changed my mind."  
Balto smiles.  
He looks at her, giving a look like: I wish she would come on my deck. (his house)  
Jenna "They said th-" Balto hushes her. "Shhh..."  
Balto "Give me your paw."  
"Now close your eyes."  
Jenna really starts smiling. Balto:"Go on!"  
Balto "Step up. Hold onto the railing.  
Keep your eyes closed. No peeking."  
Jenna "...I'm not."  
Balto "Step up onto the railing."  
She steps up.  
Balto "Do you trust me?"  
Jenna "I trust you."  
Balto "Hold on, keep your eyes CLOSED!"  
(Jenna laughs)

♪ Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you... ♫ ♪  
♫ Near, far, wherever you are. ♪  
♪ I believe that the heart does go onnnn. ♪ ♫

Balto: "Alright, open your eyes..."  
She gazes up, high above the ocean waves.  
The ship nowhere to be seen from her spot on the railing. It's like she is flying.  
Jenna: Gasp! (I'm flying)  
Snow-white wings open up from behind Jenna's bandana.  
Jenna "I'm flying!"  
The music swells.  
Jenna the red-colored husky breathes in the sweet salty wind of the sea.  
Stray white feathers fall through the air around Jenna.  
Balto had put his snow goose friend in her bandana.

(Music from Titanic)  
♫ Near, far, wherever you are. ♪  
♪ I believe that the heart does go onnnn. ♪ ♫  
♪ My heart will go on and, onnnn. ♪ ♫

The music fades out... with fade to black,  
replaced with the ambient noise of loud creaking & clanging of the ship.  
Narrator:  
"But you see... the ship was one that had wrecked, about 10 years ago.  
it was a horrific disaster... the Karluk had sunk at sea."

CRACK!  
CLANK!  
LOCATION: STAIRWELL & ENGINE ROOM  
"Get the buckets, we're SINKING"  
"Unload the crates!"  
"Karluk's pumps can't handle this much water."  
"Unload that cooking stove..."  
"And abandon ship."  
LOCATION: PANIC EVERYWHERE  
Balto, the girl, & Nigeraurak look around frantically. "Mom! Dad!"  
Balto sniffs the ground, then tugs her clothes, Balto brings her outside,  
and her parents eventually join her.  
The crew plays music on the Victrola, (a phonograph music player).  
In the real life event, Captain Bartlett had put on Chopin's Funeral March as a  
final salute to the ship, & then stepped off.  
The ship disappears under the water. In time to the music.  
with the finale: ♪♫ do...dedo...dedo... ♪ do...dedo...dedo... dedoooo...... ♫♪  
(the famous musical notes for when someone dies. R.I.P)

(The youngest scientist onboard, McKinlay had took stock of the stranded party:  
22 men, one woman, two children, 16 dogs and a cat.)

LOCATION: SEA ICE  
Crates & random pieces of equipment are strewn about the ice half-hazardly.  
Balto sees one of the other dogsled teams on the ice. It's Steele & his team.  
Kaltag "It disappeared, dissipated, the majesty fell through the ice, it..."  
Star "The boat is gone!"  
Kaltag shakes him "What do we do now!?!?" (Kaltag asks to Star, 2nd in the gangline)  
Star "Waohhh" (Kaltag is still shaking him)  
Steele "Now? Now we're the boat. Heh heh."

Nigeraurak narrates:  
"The crew knew that help would not find them out there on their own...  
to journey across the ice was their only option... to survive."

Scene: the dogsleds & the crew trekking over the ice.  
A map of the Arctic ocean (Chukchi sea area) overlaid on top:  
It shows Nome, Alaska & the route the ship took to just offshore Wrangel Island, Russia.  
And where the ship had sunk.

LOCATION: STILL ONLY SEA ICE  
man2 "We search for Wrangel Island... it must be close, I'm certain.  
man1 "What makes you think that's a good idea?"  
man2 "It will offer everyone more safety in food, for large game, and also...  
this ice is awful, I can't stand it, if someone falls through I'd feel responsible"  
man1 "I'm the one responisible. I'm the captain of the crew."  
man2 "-but we must make some good decisions now, I really beg you to think!!"  
man1 "Yes... lets make a group then fella. explore the land over there and bring back food  
and word of your findings. If it really is Wrangel Island, then we are in the best of luck."

Narrator "They organised a party to search the island, but never returned."

LOCATION: SEA ICE (WITH A MAKE-SHIFT CAMP)  
Scene of a depressed shipmate sitting on a crate.  
man2 "Our food rations are... not adequate are they?"  
man1 "We've been out here for far longer than anyone could've expected..."  
man2 "Aren't you gonna shave...?" (one of the men has a big ol' bushy beard now)  
man3 "Hmm... y'know I did SAY (raises voice in anger)  
we shouldn't have taken that Karluk-!!!"  
He's cut off by a sudden noise...

YELP  
A dog gets hurt or too physically exhausted to continue...  
the crew take the dog behind a tent.  
It's evident they are going to shoot them.  
Balto attacks their guns, trying to save the poor dog.  
he dashes around like an expert fighter, a wolf whose protecting his pack. he bleeds unfazed.  
& things he had learnt, running about Nome as if it's a giant obstacle course.  
But he is shot. boom------  
slow-motion with a white background...  
Man: "... Jack...", the man kneels, "I'm sorry...."  
Balto growls in pain.  
he then runs away quickly.  
Balto has lost the fight against the humans who wanted to kill the dogs.  
He runs forever, strong like the wind.

But he has a plan.  
Balto sniffs the ice. Determined now to find the island.  
It's blizzard weather.  
He sees something in the distance.  
Almost like a dream he finally places a paw on solid land. (a sandy shore)  
Balto is exhausted. whiting out, in a white out blizzard... and then-

Scene: Heritage of the Dog  
The music swells  
A big paw, 5 times as big as Balto's wolfish paws.  
pan up  
Huge glistening white tusks jut out from this creature. whose covered in very thick  
white-colored wool.  
The snow lessens up abit. Only specks fall in small clumps now.  
The sun peaks out from the horizon.  
Balto feels a well of emotion in his gut. And through the pain lets out the deepest,  
loudest yell a wolfdog can muster.  
Yowlllllllll !

(this yowl goes on for a long time)

Scene of the mammoth far away from Balto, stomping away, steadily, slowly.  
Balto's man steps into the shot, cautious of the huge animal, a gun by his side.  
Looking at the mammoth.  
Pause.  
Man "This must be it... it's Wrangle Island!"  
Pause on the snowy scene with them watching the mammoth disappear into the icey fog.

Narrator:  
"With Wrangel Island found. They could coordinate their position and make  
their way to Siberia on foot. The trek had taken several weeks across land & sea ice."

LOCATION: SLEDDING ON SEA ICE  
Balto's leg is patched up in a splint & cast. He can't run anymore, & sits in the sled.  
Almost as soon as he was allowed to rest, Balto gets off the sled to walk.  
With abit of a limp, he walks, as to not burden the dogs, but he is strong.  
"Jack(Balto)... get back in the sled!" "You don't have to walk!"  
Balto "We're all suffering together.  
I know the ice, and also what's dangerous. I'll help lead."  
Steele glares daggers at him, but Jenna is there too, so he keeps it cool.

LOCATION: SIBERIA!  
They make it to Siberia.  
The man asks the villagers for their strongest dog to take on the return journey.  
They give him a Siberian Husky in exchange for a colt revolver, a fast reliable handgun.  
(maybe the dog's design is based on Balto's dad. If his dad was a Siberian Husky)  
(might have Balto's signature traits like his eyes & messy hair, but is a Siberian Husky)  
Some Russian snow geese are there in Balto's imagination.

LOCATION: BALTO'S BOAT  
Nigeraurak narrates the rest of the story:  
"The man makes it back to Alaska.  
And there he requests two ships from Nome to rescue everyone on the islands.  
The now famous ice cutter SS Bear, and the famous schooner: the King and Winge!"  
(Nigeraurak is visibly excited to mention boat names. They love boats.)

Scene of the little black kitten's face with their eyes closed,  
"My family were rescued by those boats.  
All my littermates know that story, they are taught to be tough like mama."

Balto is laying his head down. He was imagining everything. The story was very sad.  
Then Balto tries to remember something. Balto is quiet "..."  
Boris "Well what about that. Old country is missed in my heart.  
But I wouldn't try going back never! I staying right here forever!"  
Balto "Ha ha ha. Oh (yeah)?" (some sarcasm in his voice)  
Balto looks at his paw that was limping in his imagination,  
"If something like that happened I don't know what I'd do."  
Pause

Balto "Y'know. I think I've seen those boats in port."  
Nigeraurak "GASP"  
Balto "Wanna come look for them down at the harbor with me?"  
Nigeraurak "Meow!"  
She jumps up onto Balto's shoulders.  
They begin to walk down the offboarding plank of Balto's ship.  
Balto "I'm going to go train too. I need to get ready for the great race!  
I'm gonna be a sled dog someday."  
Nigeraurak "Oh, how cool!"  
Balto "You like sled dogs huh?"  
Boris "Hm all that running in the story make you wanna run? I wanna hide in cabin."  
"Actually I want off this boat."  
(howling in distance)  
"Was that wolf! Ohno, I hide in bucket."  
Balto "C'mon Boris..."  
He picks up the goose onto his back & runs down the icy shore of the Bering Sea with them hanging on.  
Boris "Wahhh~!"  
END

Play ending music.

Credits  
Black screen with a credits scroll.  
Off in the corner is Balto, in a walking animation loop.  
Looks happy, maybe prancing or dancing.  
Then looks sad, slinking.  
Then looks happy again.  
Jenna runs in with a snowball.  
Puts the snowball in her mouth.  
She crunches it once. some snow falls off it.  
Then crunchs it afew times more.  
Balto stops suddenly, but his back feet don't. And he falls on his face into the snow,  
butt in the air.  
Balto continues to tumble forward  
and collects the wet snow on his fur enough to make it round,  
and transforms into a big giant snowball.  
His fluffy tail is the only thing that shows he's still Balto, instead of giant snowball.  
And his feet are still visible. Stumbling away like a boychick with its eggshell still on.  
Jenna is so happy looking at the big goofy snowball.  
She moves her feet up and down like an excited kid.  
occasionally jumping up like a popcorn kernel.  
Jenna pauses to smile at the camera, and then runs off after Balto.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> **Sketches**
> 
> I made a few sketches of what the scenes might look like below. :3
> 
> Beginning: [ibb.co/3kd9Gms](https://ibb.co/3kd9Gms)  
> "I'm flying!" sketch 1: [i.ibb.co/ccq5h9P/flying1.png](https://i.ibb.co/ccq5h9P/flying1.png)  
> "I'm flying!" sketch 2: [i.ibb.co/whd7hfd/flying2.png](https://i.ibb.co/whd7hfd/flying2.png)  
> Heritage of the Dog: [ibb.co/92870pX](https://ibb.co/92870pX)  
> End Credits: [ibb.co/rZtLXpp](https://ibb.co/rZtLXpp)


End file.
